Chihuly glass art amazes locals at Botanical Gardens

ST. LOUIS -- Byron Foust was skeptical at first.

When he walked into the Missouri Botanical Gardens on Tuesday, he wondered whether the money he paid to tag along on the trip with the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri was worth it.

His first impression of the work of renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly -- the eye-patch-wearing savior of the Studio Glass movement -- was that the "art" was a joke.

Staci DeVore, 14, photographed Chihuly glass, right, displayed inside the Climatron at the Missouri Botanical Garden. She went to the gardens with her aunt and the Cape Girardeau Arts Council.

"My first impression was this was Monty Python's House of Horrors. Have you ever seen that? I was not sure it was my cup of tea."

After a few minutes in the garden, his opinion quickly changed. Before long he was marveling at the work Chihuly created for the Missouri Botanical Garden.

"Look at how they just blend in," he said many times in awe of the glass art pieces arranged here and there among the plants in the garden.

Foust was one of several locals who stood in awe before the work of Chihuly, as have other visitors since the Garden opened with a new theme -- "Glass in the Garden" -- on April 30.

Throughout the summer season, which ends Oct. 31, the Garden will complement its diverse array of plant life with the work of one of the world's most acclaimed glass artists, Chihuly.

Working in his Seattle studio with his crew of experienced glassblowers, Chihuly created 30 installations of blown glass sculpture. Placed among the plants of the Garden, some seem to hang amazingly in air, some float in pools and some appear as reeds growing from the ground.

Nearly everywhere they are found the glass pieces seem to blend in almost seamlessly with the environment. They're shaped like flowers in full bloom, reeds, onions, herons, grass, crystals and other natural forms.

"I think it's gorgeous," Anita Dickerson said while strolling through the main exhibit in the garden's Climatron. "It's so organic it just fits in."

The Chihuly glass greets visitors immediately upon entering the Gardens. A 20-foot chandelier of varying shades of blue and white tentacles hangs over the entrance feet above visitors' heads. The glass seems fragile, its suspension magic.

Pools inside the garden are filled with floating Walla Walla onions (named that by Chihuly after his home state's famous vegetable).

But inside the Climatron is where the most interesting Chihuly work can be found. There glass pieces are early hidden, camouflaged among the plants. Finding them is sometimes like an earthy game of "Where's Waldo?"

Others are easy to spot but inspire wonder. An end-of-day palm is loaded from top to bottom with glass tentacles of multiple shades.

"How did they get them up there?" was a question repeated many times as participants of the Arts Council tour walked by the palm. The tentacles, like all the pieces in the garden, look different from different angles as the light hitting them changes.

The Chihuly "Glass in the Garden" exhibit is two years in the making, said garden special exhibits marketing manager Lynn Kerkemeyer. Chihuly has a long history of creating glass exhibits for botanical gardens (one even whether a hurricane in Atlanta), but this is the first time his work has come to St. Louis.

"Glass in the Garden" was created specifically for the Missouri Botanical Garden. Kerkemeyer said the exhibit is the first of its kind to be shown at the garden, and one of only two art exhibits that have been there at all.

All the pieces were created in Seattle, disassembled and shipped to St. Louis, then reassembled and put in place. The process took two years, said Kerkemeyer, but the rewards have been amazing.

"We're way above the attendance we originally projected," Kerkemeyer said. "We couldn't be happier, and that's what other gardens have said as well."

One of the highlights of "Glass in the Garden" is an event called "Chihuly Nights." Every Thursday the garden opens its doors from 6 to 10 p.m. so visitors can see Chihuly's work lighted in the dark. Local artists demonstrate glass blowing as visitors sip cocktails and admire the glowing glass orbs and tentacles.

Last week over 3,000 people attended "Chihuly Nights," said Kerkemeyer -- a huge attendance for the garden.

A name like Chihuly has drawing power among those with an interest in art.

Ralph Eevers joined the Arts Council trip because he knew the Chihuly name.

He had to capture all the glass he could find on his camera.

"It's fantastic," he said, looking up at the end-of-day palm and its glass tentacles. "I never dreamed it would be like this."

For patrons of the garden, Chihuly's exhibit may be a rare opportunity to see world-class art in such a green setting. Kerkemeyer said there might be art of this caliber returning to the garden some season, but not likely.

"There aren't too many Chihulys out there," she said.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182

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Who is Dale Chihuly?

If you don't know the name Dale Chihuly, you're probably not a student of art glass.

Chihuly is known by many for revolutionizing the Studio Glass movement in art, changing it from a solitary pursuit by a lone artist into a team sport using groups of skilled glass artisans under his direction.

He's credited with being one of the main forces behind moving blown glass out of the realm of small, decorative pieces and into the realm of large-scale contemporary sculptures. Chihuly is also a co-founder of the Pilchuck School in Stanwood, Wash.

Chihuly got his start in 1967 creating room-sized installations of organic, plant-like glass installations, and his most recent work is noted for its use of vibrant color and linear decorations.

His most famous installations include "Chihuly over Venice" (1995-1996), Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem 2000 (2000), Chihuly in the Park: A Garden of Glass in Chicago (2001-2002), the Chihuly Bridge of Glass in Tacoma, Wash. (2002) and Mille Fiori at the Tacoma Art Museum (2003).

For more information on Chihuly, visit www.chihuly.com.